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Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card: Is It Good for Delta Customers
Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card: Is It Good for Delta Customers
Editorial Note: The content of this article is based on the author’s opinions and recommendations alone. It has not been previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any credit card issuer.
The Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express is the only no annual fee Delta credit card (See Rates & Fees), and worth your consideration if you're a low spender who occasionally travels with the airline. While this card has no features that make it extraordinary, the fact that it has no annual fee and above-average rewards in certain shopping categories, like dining out, makes it a decent card to consider getting.
- Review
- Benefits & Features
- How Does The Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express Compare?
Review: Is The Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express Worth Applying For?
The Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express is excellent for occasional Delta customers who want a way to earn extra miles towards award travel. However, if you are a frequent Delta flyer or check multiple bags with the carrier throughout the year, you should probably apply for one of the other Delta credit cards. If you're simply looking for a good rewards card, and don't particularly need one affiliated with Delta, look for cash back cards like the Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card.
|
Good For… | Bad For… |
|---|---|
| Individuals after a Delta card with no annual fee | Individuals who frequently fly with Delta in groups |
| Use at restaurants and when paying for Delta tickets | Those looking for more airline perks, like free checked bags or companion tickets |
The Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express is the only Delta credit card with no annual fee, which makes it fairly special. If you're a low spender, and don't want to commit to any of the other Delta cards, this is a good option. While the rewards this card provides aren't anything too special, the fact that it has no annual fee makes it at least worth your consideration.
The card shines most when it comes to getting you extra miles from restaurant and Delta purchases. In those two categories, it can reach rewards rates higher than 2%. When it comes to all other purchases, you get just a 1% rewards rate, which can be outdone by most good cash back credit cards. As with all Delta credit cards, the Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express also provides a 20% discount on in-flight food and beverage purchases, on any Delta-operated flights.
Bottom Line: The Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express is a good no annual fee credit card option for consumers who sometimes fly with Delta. While we don't recommend this become your go-to everyday credit card, there's enough value it in for everyone to consider. It's not one of the best airline credit cards, but it's not bad either.
Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express Benefits & Features
The Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express awards Delta Skymiles with every purchase. Users get 2 miles per dollar spent at U.S. restaurants and on purchases made directly with Delta. All other purchases get 1 point per dollar. The points you earn on Delta purchases are earned on top of the miles you already would normally earn with those transactions. If you're a non-medallion member, you get 5 miles per USD. With the card's 2 mile bonus, you'd be earning a total of 7 miles per dollar with each ticket.
Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express
- Earn 10,000 Bonus Miles after spending $500 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months of Card Membership.
- No Annual Fee.
- Earn 2 miles per dollar at US restaurants.
- Earn 2 Miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta. Earn 1 mile on every eligible dollar spent on other purchases.
- Receive a 20% savings in the form of a statement credit after you use your Card on eligible Delta in-flight purchases of food, beverages, and audio headsets.
- Terms Apply.
- Earn 10,000 Bonus Miles after spending $500 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months of Card Membership.
- No Annual Fee.
- Earn 2 miles per dollar at US restaurants.
- Earn 2 Miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta. Earn 1 mile on every eligible dollar spent on other purchases.
- Receive a 20% savings in the form of a statement credit after you use your Card on eligible Delta in-flight purchases of food, beverages, and audio headsets.
- Terms Apply.
Additionally, cardholders are also awarded 10,000 bonus miles after they spend $500 in purchases on the card within the first three months of card membership. We estimate this bonus to be worth approximately $130, which is decent as far as no annual fee credit cards are concerned. To get this bonus, you must reach the $500 threshold through purchases only. Balance transfers and cash advances do not count.
What Are Delta Skymiles Worth?
Skymiles by Delta Air Lines is not the most warmly received frequent flyer program, due to its restrictions and high prices. How much value you get out of a single mile can vary drastically, depending on when you redeem. On average, we estimate a single mile to be worth $0.013. However, this value can fall down to $0.005 or climb as high as $0.029. After averaging dozens of flights from different itineraries, here are some the sampled mile values.
| Delta Flight Type | Mile Value Range |
|---|---|
| Domestic Main Cabin | $0.01 - $0.013 |
| Domestic First/Business Class | $0.007 - $0.015 |
| International Main Cabin | $0.013 - $0.016 |
| International First/Business Class | $0.019 - $0.04 |
You will generally find the best priced award tickets on flights between Delta's hubs. These include New York, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Paris, London and Amsterdam. We also found that business class seats will generally get you better value per mile than main cabin tickets.
For rates and fees of the Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express, please click here.
How Does The Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express Compare To Other Credit Cards?
As a consumer, you have the option of applying for any credit card — not just the Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express. To help better inform you of your options, we compared the card against some of the other available choices.
Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express vs Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express
The Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express may be the better option for cardholders who check four bags per year on Delta flights. Your first checked bag is free on Delta-operated flights you pay for using this card. However, in all other instances, we recommend getting the Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express instead. The fact that the card has no annual fee (See Rates & Fees) and is better at earning miles day-to-day than the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express is enough for us to recommend it.
Click here for our full review of the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express
For rates and fees of the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express, please click here.
Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express vs Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express
Get the Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express if you don't travel alone, take several Delta flights per year (with checked bags), and spend over $25,000 annually. Despite having a very high annual fee of $195 ($250 if application is received on or after 1/30/2020), the extra benefits you get through the Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express make it well worth it, especially when compared to the Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express. The card provides a free round trip companion ticket each year, 10,000 bonus miles anytime you spend at least $25k on your card each year, and the ability to earn extra Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQMs).
Click here for our full review of the Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express
For rates and fees of the Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express, please click here.
Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express vs Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card
If you have no particular loyalty to Delta, we recommend considering the Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card instead. The card provides unlimited 4% cash back on dining and entertainment, 2% at grocery stores and 1% on all other purchases. In that way, the card is much more rewarding on dining purchases than the Delta card. The Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card also has no foreign transaction fees, making it great for thrifty travelers who want to minimize the fees they have to pay while they are outside of the country.
Click here for our full review of the Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card
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How We Calculate Rewards: ValuePenguin calculates the value of rewards by estimating the dollar value of any points, miles or bonuses earned using the card less any associated annual fees. These estimates here are ValuePenguin's alone, not those of the card issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuer.
Example of how we calculate the rewards rates: When redeemed for travel through Ultimate Rewards, Chase Sapphire Preferred points are worth $0.0125 each. The card awards 2 points on travel and dining and 1 point on everything else. Therefore, we say the card has a 2.5% rewards rate on dining and travel (2 x $0.0125) and a 1.25% rewards rate on everything else (1 x $0.0125).